Currently, refrigerators are increasingly incorporating devices to provide added functionality to users. For example, refrigerator or freezer doors now may be found with lights, ice and water dispensers, access hatches to allow quicker access to snack supplies, display screens, etc. There remains a strong motivation to provide increased functionality for home refrigerators.
One such functionality is beverage dispensers. For example, many consumers drink wine. Given that some wine can be quite expensive, users commonly take some care to make sure that the wine is properly stored. For example, if a bottle of wine is opened, the wine will react with the air, which can degrade the wine. Some devices are currently in use to preserve wine after a bottle has been opened. Such devices commonly displace the air within the bottle with a gas (for example, Nitrogen) that will not react with the wine or alter the taste of the wine. Beverage dispensers have been developed that can both ensure that the wine is stored such that the wine does not react and degrade, and allow the wine to be dispensed. For example, Napa Technology (Santa Clara, Calif.) makes a wine dispensing machine sold under the name WINESTATION®. This system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,712,631 which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes herein. This system allows preservation of the wine to minimize degradation of the wine, and allows a controlled dispensing of selected quantities of wine.
It is an object of the invention to provide a refrigerator with wine dispensing functionality.